OTAWA | Severely down in the polls since the end of the summer, Justin’s Liberals have taken major measures to turn things around and used an unusual tactic by unveiling key measures of the budget in small amounts rather than doing a splash on D-Day. Housing, Defense, housing, schools, housing, artificial intelligence, housing again… so many things have been announced that one wonders if there will be anything left to say once the budget submitted. The government has still kept a few rabbits in its hat, we assure you. Here is an overview of the measures that will be included in the Freeland budget, tabled in Parliament on April 16.
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Billions in housing
Archive photo, QMI Agency
If Justin Trudeau wanted the public to remember only one thing after three weeks of communications blitz across the country, it’s that he takes the housing crisis seriously. To build, as he calculates, 3.9 million housing units by 2031, Mr. Trudeau pulled out all the stops and took out the checkbook: $6 billion for the construction of infrastructure and $15 billion in loans for construction. apartments, among other things. Added to this are regulatory changes to help cities accelerate the granting of permits and help builders accelerate construction starts. Not afraid to step on the provinces’ toes, the Prime Minister launched into the protection of tenants by announcing a possible standard or compulsory lease – which Quebec already has – as well as a charter of rights for tenants. tenants.
- Listen to Yasmine Abdelfadel’s opinion on the pieces of the federal budget already revealed via QUB :
Defend the North
Archive photo, REUTERS
In a world of growing dangers from both sides of the planet, Canada is under pressure from its allies to increase its military spending. It is with this in mind that the Trudeau government announced an investment of $8.1 billion over five years, and $73 billion over the next 20 years. Despite these colossal amounts, Canada will not reach the threshold of 2% of its gross domestic product (GDP), as NATO recommends to its members, but will increase it from 1.33% today to 1. 76% by the end of the decade.
State-of-the-art computers for AI
Visiting the offices of a Montreal artificial intelligence (AI) start-up last week, Justin Trudeau announced an investment of $2.4 billion to support Canada in the global race to develop this technology. Almost all ($2 billion) of this sum will be dedicated to improving “technological infrastructure and computing capabilities” to benefit researchers and businesses, large and small. A sum of $50 million will be dedicated to the Canadian Institute to promote the “development and deployment” of “safe” AI.
The federal government even in lunches!
Photo Adobe Stock
The Trudeau government surprised many by announcing the creation of a school food program with the objective of providing meals every day to 400,000 children across the country. The Liberals had raised the idea of such a program in 2019 before making it a promise in the 2021 elections. Organizations like the Breakfast Club welcomed the announcement. However, questions remain unanswered regarding the way in which the funds will be allocated, as education is under provincial jurisdiction. Ottawa plans $1 billion over five years for this measure. Furthermore, Mr. Trudeau also announced $1 billion in loans to increase the number of daycare spaces to $10 per day.